Earnings (Loss) Per Share (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Millions, $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Earnings (Loss) Per Share [Abstract]
Net income (loss) attributable to Gardner Denver Holdings, Inc.	$ 269.4	$ 18.4	$ (36.6)
Average shares outstanding [Abstract]
Basic (in shares)	201.6	182.2	149.2
Diluted (in shares)	209.1	188.4	149.2
Earnings (loss) per share [Abstract]
Basic (in dollars per share)	$ 1.34	$ 0.10	$ (0.25)
Diluted (in dollars per share)	$ 1.29	$ 0.10	$ (0.25)
Stock Options [Member]
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Antidilutive securities excluded from computation of diluted loss per share (in shares)	0.8	0.7	13.3